Interview: The K's frontman Jamie Boyle on being a proud Swiftie, dreams of playing Glasto and chart success
The K's frontman Jamie Boyle says the band were all fired up after scoring a number three album with their debut last year and have already started work on a follow-up to 'Pretty On The Internet', which lands this June.
Indie starlets The K's are currently amidst a UK tour, which will see them play their biggest headliner to date at London's Roundhouse on May 13. The lads are also preparing for a season of festivals, including playing the main stage at Reading and Leeds for the second year running, and will release their second studio album, 'Pretty On The Internet', on June 27.
Here, frontman Jamie Boyle talks to ContactMusic.com about the "whirlwind" of their debut album 'I Wonder If the World Knows?' reaching number three in the Official UK Album Chart last year, after a toe-to-toe chart battle with Beyoncé and The Libertines, being a proud Swiftie, dreams of playing Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, plus making a start on album three before the second one is out.
Hi Jamie. Have you managed to recover from your wild 2024?
It was absolutely crazy. Last year was a whirlwind for different reasons, because that was on the live side. Last year, we did the album like the back end of 2023, and it was a lot more spaced out. And we did it over a lot longer time, whereas this album, we absolutely blitzed it. We had all the songs ready to go. We started it in November, met the producer, laid down like the guide tracks and things like that. And then the start of this year, we were just absolutely hammering it. We were doing like six days a week, like 10 to 12, hour days every day, so it's been absolutely mental. And then we finished that, played a few days in the UK, and then went to America last week. We got back on Monday. So it's all go.It's really weird. Like my family and stuff will say to me all the time, you need to make sure you don't burn yourself out. And it's like, we actually like the chaos as soon as we've got nothing on, we just get bored. As soon as it goes quiet for a little bit, we're chomping at the bit to do something.
What was the pressure like going in after the chart success of the debut album?
I think, if anything, it sort of makes you more confident. To see it on paper, to have that sort of validation for what you're doing, your music and your band, on paper, gives you more sort of, not that we ever lacked belief or confidence, but it just fires you up. We were just straight away excited to do the next album. And it sounds ridiculous, because the album's not out for few months, and I already can't wait to do album three.
Have you started writing for it already?
I can't remember the exact date, but we finished album two on the 23rd of February. I sent Dex [Dexter Baker, bassist] a demo on the 24. He was like, 'Are you joking?' And I was like, 'No, it's never too early.' And I said, 'But, doesn't it sound cool?' And he said, 'Yeah.' It's something I do for enjoyment as well, obviously, it's work now as well, but it never feels that way. It's something I do for enjoyment, it's how I express myself. And it's just something I feel like I'll always do it.
Tell us about the song Gravestone on album two?
I came to the realisation when I was writing that song, that I put too much emphasis on my existence and sometimes forget about, like, my loved ones and my friends and my girlfriend and everybody who was here way before any of this. And I focus so much, and I'm such a tunnel vision, because I love the band, and I absolutely love what I do, that sometimes I get into a whirlwind with it, where I forget about everything else in my life. And I sort of had this realisation of, like, I need to to also make time for for that aspect of it, as well as not putting so much pressure on myself, or putting so much energy into this, what I do sometimes, I sometimes forget, like the most important things in life are like your relationships with your family and friends.
What would you say is going to be on the band's gravestone? What's the legacy you want for The K's?
Do you know what? As long as, and this is a really, sort of boring answer, but as long as me and the lads and like all our wider team are happy, and we're making music that we like, and we're living a life that we like through music and things like that. That's all we really we can ask for. I don't think we can ask for any more than that. Obviously the dream is to headline the Pyramid Stage and stuff like that. But just a long, happy career in music. Doing something we love and just being able to do this forever, that's the goal for me, regardless of any sort of, like, actual goals, of like, playing certain places or getting a certain chart position or winning a certain award.
What's the meaning behind the album's title Pretty On The Internet?
There's a song of the album called Picking Up The Pieces. That song was originally supposed to be on album one, but we didn't actually get it finished in time. We took it into the studio to record it, and I was like, I'm not feeling it. It's not ready. We'd rushed it. That was that. Actually, I wonder if the world knows that's where the line comes from for the first album so the title of the first album was from a song that didn't even make it onto the first album, so it made it onto the second album. So we took another line from that song that says, 'I hope they think I'm pretty on the internet', and just took that so both album titles are actually from that one song in the same verse.
Social media is causing an identity crisis among young people.
The vast majority of people are faking it in terms of what you see online. It appears everyone's got everything sorted. And like, everyone just lives this day to day dream life, like you see on the internet all the time, when in reality, if you actually ever sit down and talk to anybody, everybody's just completely f****** winging it and trying the best and just hoping that it sort of works out all right. And I think again, it's especially for young people, like, as we're getting older, we understand it a little bit more, but I think especially for young people, I feel like that's where there is this sort of identity crisis, because you don't feel good enough for your own skin, because you're constantly exposed to what you have isn't good enough, and you should be aiming for this stuff. And then it takes a long time and a lot of sort of growing up to realise that none of it's real at all. And if somebody's just had a massive argument with a bird or with a partner, or, I don't know, something terrible just happened, they're not posting that on their Instagram grid. It's just like a highlight reel. It doesn't always feel that way, like you're just watching somebody's highlight reel, and you're not seeing any sort of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on. Even if you look through my Instagram, you'll probably think that I'll just go around, just go around the world playing shows like that's like 1% of my life, you know, well, not 1% but you know what I mean, like that little time on stage that I post the pictures of is like an hour a day, a couple of times a week. And there's a whole lot more to it than that. But the only thing people have seen is that sort of stuff.
"I'm not saying go and listen to Gangnam Style, but, I feel like with pop music, people in our sort of our circles are so quick to dismiss it."
What artists were you inspired by writing the new album?
I'm constantly listening to new stuff and always exploring new genres and things like that. And I think one thing that surprises people is if you look at my playlist, I think people would be very surprised, because it goes from The Beatles, like '60s Beatles, through to like, '70s, '80s, punk, and then all the way through to like, like modern day pop music, like Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, people like this. People are far too quick to put themselves into one box, or one genre, and just be like, No, that's what I like. Everything else is s***. And it's like, if you actually sit down and listen to stuff, I think, like, if you give it the time, you may end up finding something you like in it. I also think for the vast majority off stuff, not everything, but I think if something's really big, there's always things to take away from it, even if you don't love it. Obviously, I'm not saying go and listen to Gangnam Style, but, I feel like with pop music, people in our sort of our circles are so quick to dismiss it. And I think if you listen to it a lot of the time, some of the songs are so well written, musically and lyrically. I think it's important to just listen to a broad range of music and cast a wider net as possible. And I think it sort of keeps things fresh as well, both as a listener and as a band, as a writer.
You are playing your biggest show to date at London's Roundhouse. How does that feel?
I can't wait. We played it in like, 2019 maybe, opening up for The Rifles, and that's the only time that we played it. And we were like, We need to play this venue. And obviously COVID happened for like two years in the middle. And now we are headlining six years later, and it's going to sell out. The tickets are selling really well, so it's crazy. I can't wait. It's such an iconic venue, and I love everything about the place.
How do you approach the set list for that?
I think we'll have had two more releases by then. Let me think, yeah, so two, if not three, more releases by then, that'll definitely be in the set. We're always keen to try out some new stuff as well when we're doing an album tour. That keeps it exciting for us as well. Changing the setup every night. Sometimes, when you are playing the same set every night, it feels a little bit like autopilot. So we like to try and change it up when we can.
You'll be able to do your own Eras Tour like Taylor in the future!
Yeah! I love that woman. I think, as an artist, she's brilliant.
You also have Reading and Leeds coming up.
Yes, we can say we've played the main stage twice, which is absolutely crazy. Saying it out loud. Last year, there were flares, and 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of people, and they came to see us. Do you know what I mean? There's so many other stages that people could have gone to that day, and everybody's there. And it's one of those pinch-yourself moments. Every so often, you don't really see the progression, because we sort of just have our heads down, working through it and just thinking, what's next? And just focus on smashing the goal just right in front of us. It takes something like that sometimes to think, f***, we are actually doing all right.
What was it like opening for your idols in The Libertines? What are they like?
They are always dead sweet. It's weird, because, like, when we see them now, we go over for a chat and stuff, and we have a chat and I absolutely idolised them as a kid, I wouldn't have believed you, like 10 years ago, if you told me they'd recognise me. They've always been nothing but nice. So as we supported them a few times, and I absolutely love it every time we play with them, like I said, they're my favourite band ever. They actually got number one as well the week that we released our album. So if we're gonna lose to anyone, I'm glad it was them.
And do you think you could work together in the future?
I'd absolutely love that.
As well as playing a huge venue like the Roundhouse, you are also playing the small venue Salt & Tar in Bootle, Liverpool, on August 8. How important is it for you to support the local live scene?
We played it as a support with Cast just over a year ago, and since then, they've extended it and added to the stage and stuff and really done it up nice. So we got the offer in, and we were like, yeah, we definitely want to go back. It was sick the first time and it's going to be even better.
Grab any remaining tickets to The K's UK tour now via theks.band/tour. Pre-orders for 'Pretty On The Internet' are available from all good retailers.
